"I'm sorry." Two little words thrown out daily by almost everyone. It covers the accidental bump in the crowd, a wrong number dialed, or waking someone from a nap. The words are easy to say, requiring very little effort on the part of the speaker.
There are times, though, that the words need to be followed by action. Mistakes are made, feelings are hurt, and more than a few easily spoken words are required to repair the damage. If action is not taken, or if the apology is followed by more of the same behavior, what began as a mistake turns into a powerful weapon. In essence, an apology followed by inaction is saying, "You are not worth the effort." which cuts worse than any knife. And repeated apologies for the same offense only compounds the pain.
So, save the "I'm sorrys" for times in which society requires a nicety to be uttered. Otherwise, either say, "I will not allow this to happen again." and stay true to your word, or say "Goodbye. I can't change." Neither will change the fact that a mistake was made, but both will keep further wounds from being created.
"Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past.”
~Tryon Edwards
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